strangetrip | [GP] Réveillon & New Year's Eve & Check-In

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[GP] Réveillon & New Year's Eve & Check-In

Emma had said, during Winter's Crest, that she missed a tradition from home called réveillon. She seemed also to miss her cousin, as Lillith missed hers. Since she wished both to learn to cook and to be of comfort to her friend, it had been decided they would make a réveillon dinner for New Year's Eve.

Yet when Emma began to lay out the courses -- oyster soup and potato & leek soup, salad, a gumbo, venison roast, cheeses, and creme brulee, plus several hors d'ouevres not yet decided -- Lillith quailed at the size of the undertaking. Surely she would wish someone to assist who could contribute more than roasted rabbit, wheat or potato flour dumplings, and koláč.

Since Sunny likewise missed her family and would certainly wish a distraction, when she entered the cafe where they were planning, the other two seized upon her almost at once. Sunny could hardly resist their dual entreaty, even had she wished to, and Lillith thought she seemed even more ready for company than previously. Of course Sunny had offerings of her own: jolloff rice, peppered chicken, and fried plantain.

Between they three, the planning and the cooking were very nearly merry, and Lillith kept them liberally supplied with champagne (her personal favorite), too. By late afternoon of the eve of the new year, they had begun lining tables with dishes, and enlisted the help of other friends to make the evening event widely known.

Of course, in addition to the réveillon feast that took over the steakhouse, alcohol flowed freely, lights sparkled brightly, the nightclub had music for dancing. And at some point the Inn or Caroline or Regina hung mistletoe from several of the primary entrances and exits so that unless one wished to or was unaware of the tradition, no one (not even any new arrivals) need greet the new year unkissed.

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Dean took a sip of his beer, and let his gaze slide around the room until it came to rest on a blonde woman. There was something familiar about her back but he couldn't put his finger on it. He did notice that her beer was getting low and always the gentleman, he went to offer his extra bottle. It wasn't until he got close enough to see her profile that Dean halted in his tracks. Was this an illusion to trick him? Was he finally cracking?

"Mom?"

She turned, half expecting Sam, but the voice was different. When she turned she had a moment of deja vu. There was no recognition at first and then she remembered the portrait that Sam had made of Dean for her for Christmas. A slow realization set in though there was also still confusion and some sadness mixed in. "...Dean?"

Dean's hand came out to touch her shoulder before his brain engaged enough to realize what it was doing. "You're real?" Then his brain cleared and he stepped back before his hand touched her. "Wait. How do I know you're not some way this place is screwing with me?"

His mom's memories were wiped when he went back in time. She shouldn't know who he was or even if she got the connection with his boneheaded admission that she was his mom, how did she know he was Dean and not Sam?

A faint smile formed on her lips in a way that was both proud, but mostly sympathetic. It was clear he had just arrived. She wished she felt more equipped to answer all the question he had, but at least this time it was the parent explaining to the child.

"Well, the real answer is I guess you don't. But, this place. I only just got here over a month ago and." A pause. "Sam found me here. He's been here longer. He -" Mary's eyes grew a little sadder as she paused just slightly. "Told me what happened. To you, to him, to... me." She remembered herself dying vividly too, which made for some unpleasant nightmares.

"Wait. Sam's here? That's not right. I just saw him a little while ago." He stopped and rolled his eyes at himself. He was talking to his mother that had died over twenty years ago and he was concerned that he'd just seen Sam. "Right pocket universe. God, I hate this mumbo jumbo witchy shit. But plus side, you're here." He smiled weekly, trying to wrap his head around everything.

This time his hand did come out to touch her shoulder just to reassure himself that she was physically there and not some ghost. "Sam told you everything?" Hopefully not everything about their lives.

When he touched her, Mary offered a smile. She was actually a little relieved that he wanted to touch her. "He told me a lot. I remember... what happened to me." She paused, mentally shaking it off. "And he told me about what your father did after and a little bit about how you boys grew up." Mary paused again, looking at Dean with an expression that turned a little sad. "I'm sorry, Dean."

Dean stilled for only an instant before he shook his head. He wouldn't say it wasn't her fault, because it kind of was, but Dean totally got it. He would have done the same - and had, to save Sam, as she'd done to save his dad.

"It's okay, really. I love being a Hunter, saving people." Mostly killing things, but saving, too. "After dad," he'd almost said died, but stopped himself, "stopped, I could have done anything, but I chose hunting. I chose this life and I wouldn't stop." He smiled slightly at her, "it's in our blood."

She had already a good idea that Sam and Dean were very different, but this confirmed it for her. Mary caught the way Dean spoke about John and she sent him a soft expression. Her voice was soft. "Sam told me about what happened to your father."

"I'm sorry, mom." That was an odd comment to make, Dean thought. His voice was soft and sad. "Did Sam tell you why?" He and his father had issues, but he would always feel guilty that his father traded his life for Dean's.

Mary nodded. "Yes...He didn't go into detail, but I know it was to save your life," She offered a small smile as if to absolve him from any guilt he may feel for that.

Dean appreciated the effort, but he would always feel guilty over that.

"Then Sam probably told you that dad killed the Yellow Eyed Son of a bitch." Okay, Dean had but only with the help of his father so he definitely got the win.

"Yeah. I should have figured out a way to do that a long time ago... but I'm glad you boys don't have to deal with him ever again." She paused slightly. "I know Sam's been keeping some details away from me. It's okay." Except she had so many questions and so many blanks to fill in and it was a struggle sometimes not having been able to be their mom for so long. She kept this all away from Sam though, and she'd do the same with Dean. She'd protect them now even if she couldn't do it before.

Dean rolled his eyes, "that's because Sam doesn't want you to hurt, but he doesn't get that we'd rather have the truth. Whatever I can answer, I will." He knew that his mother was stronger than she seemed.

She had a lot of questions, but she found herself worried to ask most of them at the moment. She told herself one at a time. "Are you boys happy?"

"Happy's relative." Dean said with a chuckle, "but yeah we are. I know you didn't want this life for us, but it feels good helping people and killing monsters."

Mary knew John didn't really give them a choice when they were young. "If it's what you boys want to do now.... then I'll find a way to feel okay about it." She smiled a little. "And I wish I could say a part of me wasn't a little proud, but I am."

Dean felt a warmth in his chest at her words of being proud of him. He knew she didn't really know him but it helped that she was okay with his life's choice.

"Well if it helps, we're also Men of Letters." Dean smirked because he was a legacy Hunter and a legacy Men of Letters. Sure, that was more Sam's thing but still it was pretty cool.

Mary's expression looked a little confused as she tilted her head. Sam hadn't mentioned this yet. "Men of Letters?"

"They collect books and lore about everything Supernatural. They're like Supernatural nerds on steroids. Dad's family was from a long line of them. Not that he knew that." Dean didn't want his mom to think John had kept secrets from her.

"Sam and I only found out after we met Henry, our grandfather." Dean hadn't like him at first, being pissed off on his father's behalf. John had thought his father had abandoned him, so of course Dean had hated him on principle. It wasn't until near the end, that he and Sam realized that Henry hadn't abandoned him - he'd been killed in the future.

She could not picture John a hunter and she definitely could not picture John's family, or the ones she new about, as people who fought the supernatural. "You met your grandfather. John's dad?" Her brow furrowed a little, trying to think about how John would have reacted to that information. "Wow. Did you - what was he like?"

"I thought he was a jerk at first." Dean said honestly, "but that was probably Winchester meeting Winchester. He wasn't so bad in the end. He sacrificed himself to stop a Knight from Hell, Abaddon. You heard of them?"

Dean hadn't but to be fair, he hadn't known there were Knights in Hell either.

"No." Mary frowned a bit, trying to search for any reference. "But... I haven't been in the business in a while. Maybe I would have if I hadn't stopped." But she had no regrets about stopping. She just regretted doing what she did to Sam.

"Probably not. I never knew there were Knights of Hell and I had Supernatural nerd with me." By that, he meant Sam of course. "I just thought Crowley was an ass and called himself the King. Well he is an ass."

"Who's Crowley?" Mary felt, not for the first time, how much she had no idea about her boys' life. Did Dean have a girl he liked? She knew about Jessica with Sam. So many questions that she had to ask instead of innately know.

"An ass." Dean said easily, "but he's also the King of Hell. Or at least that's what he calls himself. He rules it and the demons. Sometimes it's the devil you know."

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